The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 388 Grinding Stones into Powder
However, the next instant, there was only a soft "boom." There was an explosion, but it wasn't loud enough, far less powerful than the gunpowder explosions of the Northern Song army. It wasn't even loud enough to warrant covering one's ears. Qin Hui could easily estimate without even thinking that this thing was at least thirty-two times less powerful than the gunpowder of the Northern Song army.

The "cannon" was burning fiercely, with the gunpowder making a hissing sound as it burned. The wooden bench placed on top of the "cannon" was quickly ignited and caught fire.

Gunpowder and bench burned together, sparks flying everywhere, which looked quite frightening. If someone who had never seen gunpowder explode before saw this scene, they would definitely be startled.

However, during the Northern Song Dynasty, Qin Hui was frightened by Yue Wenxuan's various firearms to the point that he was almost desensitized. Now, seeing Han Shizhong's "cannons," he would not feel any fear at all.

He wasn't afraid at all; in fact, he found it a little funny.

Han Shizhong said smugly, "How about it? Aren't my cannons powerful? Once these are used, the Jianzhou traitors are crying and begging to surrender. Lord Qin, please put in a good word for me with the government and get me more money so we can build a thousand or eight hundred of them."

Qin Hui revealed an awkward yet polite smile: "Very impressive! General Han is truly a valiant general of our Great Song Dynasty."

After saying that, he made up an excuse and left Han Shizhong's camp. He couldn't help but say to Weng Shun and Gao Yigong beside him, "Han Shizhong is already the most powerful general in our Southern Song Dynasty, but he is also unreliable. Alas! We are indeed no match for the Northern Song Dynasty. We still have to listen to the Northern Song Dynasty in the future."

Gao Yigong: "Han Shizhong wants us to put in a good word for the emperor. Shall we do it?"

Qin Hui: "What nonsense! What's the point of building such useless trash? Let's go to the emperor and impeach Han Shizhong, saying that his cannons are completely useless and all just hype."

A few days later, Qin Hui advised Zhao Gou that Han Shizhong had exaggerated the capabilities of cannons during the Jianzhou campaign, boasting without any basis and suspected of deceiving the emperor. He claimed that the cannons were utterly useless and worthless. Qin Hui further alleged that Han Shizhong's application for more military funds to manufacture these useless cannons was undoubtedly an attempt to enrich himself.

Zhao Gou was furious upon hearing this, but even though he was mentally challenged, he knew that Han Shizhong was not to be messed with. Han Shizhong was a pillar of the Southern Song Dynasty, and if he were to be harmed, the entire Southern Song Dynasty would collapse. So he did nothing to Han Shizhong.

The matter was ultimately dropped.

When Han Shizhong heard about this, he was furious and hated Qin Hui even more...
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Meanwhile, in Tiebao City, the heart of the steel industry in the Northern Song Dynasty, a massive machine had just been born.

The name of this machine is a ball mill.

Ever since Wilkinson and Watt teamed up to create a truly functional steam engine.

The Northern Song Dynasty entered the stage of "using machines to make machines".

Various strange machines powered by steam engines were invented one after another.

At this very moment, Yue Wenxuan sent two more heavyweights to Tiebao City: Kunuf and Davidson.

Upon arriving in Iron City, the two men, without saying a word, immediately used Watt's steam engine to power a "ball mill".

This is the "world's first ball mill" in real history. Its main body is a large steel cylinder containing a grinding media inside. When material is fed into the cylinder, it is impacted and ground by the grinding media as the cylinder rotates, turning it into fine powder. When this machine was first built, Li Tiezhu, an official in the Ministry of Works, and others were somewhat bewildered: "Is this a machine used to grind wheat into flour? But... is it necessary to use such a huge machine to grind wheat?"

Kunuf: "Why is it that the first thing that comes to mind when you see new machinery is food?"

Davidson: "This thing can be used to grind harder things into powder, like...stone."

Li Tiezhu: "What's the use of grinding stones into powder?"

“Of course it’s very useful.” A voice interrupted, and then a man with a neat short haircut, but wearing a Chinese merchant’s jacket, walked in. As soon as he entered the room, he gave Li Tiezhu a Chinese-style cupped-hand salute, then turned around and shook hands with Kunuf and Davidson in a Western style. Only then did he slowly introduce himself: “Hello everyone, my name is Tang Tingshu. I’m here to take this ball mill.”

Everyone:? ? ?
Nobody knows him!

However, Li Tiezhu immediately sensed that this person's temperament was clearly not that of an "ordinary person," but rather that of a celestial being summoned down from heaven by a true lord, just like Kunuf, Davidson, and others.

Li Tiezhu asked cautiously, "Sent by the True Lord?"

Tang Tingshu chuckled: "You found out!"

It turns out that Tang Tingshu was a plastic doll possessed by Yue Wenxuan.

Tang Tingshu, originally named Tang Jie, courtesy name Jianshi, style name Jingxing, also known as Jingxin, was China's first modern entrepreneur, a famous national industrialist and philanthropist, a pioneer of China's modern industrialization, one of the founders and founders of China's modern industry, and one of the representative figures of the Self-Strengthening Movement in the Qing Dynasty.

Tang Tingshu established 47 enterprises throughout his life, creating numerous "firsts" in modern Chinese economic history: the first civilian enterprise in China—the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company; the first mechanized coal mine in China; the first insurance company in China; the first railway in China; the first domestically produced train in China; the first cement plant in China; the first mechanized cotton mill in China; the drilling of the first oil well in China; and the laying of the first telegraph line in China—all were founded under Tang Tingshu's leadership. He promoted the modernization of Chinese society by establishing and managing modern enterprises.

Yue Wenxuan hadn't brought him out before because his abilities only began to come into play "after technology had developed to a certain level." Given the productivity and technological capabilities of the Song and Ming dynasties, they couldn't fully utilize Tang Tingshu's abilities.

However, once the steam engine was invented, Tang Tingshu's abilities could be put to use.

Therefore, Yue Wenxuan quickly made a figurine of Tang Tingshu and put it in the sand table. Every once in a while, he would possess Tang Tingshu and tell him what basic technologies were available, and then ask him what he could do.

When Yue Wenxuan told him that a ball mill would be launched today, Tang Tingshu immediately became excited: "There's a ball mill? That's great! We can start a business now."

So Yue Wenxuan possessed his body and came to Tiebao City.

At this moment, amidst the strange looks from a large group of people, Yue Wenxuan walked to the ball mill, reached out and stroked its thick cylinder, and smiled, "Grinding stones into powder is a very useful function. Next, let's open our first cement factory. Li Tiezhu, go and call some stonemasons, bricklayers and other craftsmen, and have them work for me from now on."

(End of this chapter)